BACKDROP HELP!!!!!

[DrewG]

So yeah. I do a LOT of dance photography as my studio is in a dance and performing arts academy. I want to get more into action dance stuff...jumps and leaps and such.
My problem is finding a decent (and large) backdrop where the dancers won't break their necks from it slipping and it won't show wrinkles.
I have several muslin 10'x20' but it slips wayyyy too much and i just generally don't like it.
I was thinking about vinyl but i'm afraid of the glare
Seamless paper looks nice but how durable is it with dancers jumping and such all over it?

I'm at a bit of a loss so any help would be amazing!

Thanks,
Drew

 

[Derrel]

It is more durable than one might think. the Savage brand is good, solid paper, and very consistent from batch to batch. If you unroll it carefully, and keep it from getting dimples or wrinkles, it lasts longer than you might think. People can walk on it, set posing stools on it, place and move light stands on it,etc. and it holds up well. Thunder Gray is a nice color, and has a classy look to it, and can be faded to black easily.

One secret is to roll it out on a STIFF, tight-fitting, cored roll, on a quality cross bar...one that does NOT droop in the middle. And the rolls need to be stored well, preferably upright. You can, if you have the right background setup, roll out TWO widths of it, crossing a little bit, and tape it down. You do NOT need to roll it from a roll at ceiling to an apron on the ground: you CAN go the "other way", with the roll on the ground, and the apron taped/tacked/stapled to a board, etc. This is not all that common, but I have done it, and it can work very well. But the roll on the ground is "in danger" so to speak. But this can be an easier way to roll it out if you lack the proper backdrop rod, so...something to think about.

One secret> TAPE the doggone paper to the floor once in place! Front, YES, all the way across! Sides,left and right? YES!!! Taping the paper down will help keep it in good shape. I like to tape it once with a wide tape and leave that on as "permanent" tape, and then 'tape it down" to the floor over the permanent tape border, especially on the front edge, right in front of the camera. Taing it down helps keep it stable, and un-wrinkled.

Normally, the "working:" apron is what is cut off and thrown away, as needed.

If you need an 18-foot wide backdrop, cut lengths, and tape one end, and then staple the cr*p out of that end, onto 1/2 inch thick by 3 inch tall moulding strips, and then you can screw two of those moulding strips to the wall, to make a nice wide drop. Use gray tape in the middle to make a seam, and clone it out as needed. You might be surprised how durable it is, if taped down, and, with no shoes, probably gonna last 5 to 15 shoots before you need a new length. And that is the thing: seamless papper never was designed to last "forever". But...we can clone out a lot of stuff. But once it takes too long to clone out background issues, it's time for a new length of papper off of the roll.

 

[DrewG]

Derrel....you sir are amazing. Thank you for the very detailed and informative comment! I will look into the savage brand paper and give it a shot. Is there a specific type of tape I should use?


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[Designer]

Is there a specific type of tape I should use?

Get the blue painter's tape. It holds in shear, yet usually removes without too much drama. Get 3" wide, and put about 1/3 on the paper, and 2/3 on the floor.

 

[SquarePeg]

I liked the idea of putting the first layer of tape fully on the paper then taping over that to tape to the floor. That way you can retape as much as you want and not have to damage the paper.

 

[Derrel]

I liked the idea of putting the first layer of tape fully on the paper then taping over that to tape to the floor. That way you can retape as much as you want and not have to damage the paper.

Is there a specific type of tape I should use?

Get the blue painter's tape. It holds in shear, yet usually removes without too much drama. Get 3" wide, and put about 1/3 on the paper, and 2/3 on the floor.

Both Designer and Squarepeg, thanks! You saved me a lot of typing. Yeah, the blue painter's masking tape is what I've switched to from expensive gaffer's tape, since it actually seems to work almost as well, but it's not quite, exactly,100% the same thing. On long-time-span uses, the real gaffer's tape comes off better, and the best can be peeled up over and over and not leave residue, but yeah...blue painter's tape is 90% the same, but like 10x less costly.